Ian Happ’s scouting report on Ryan Pressly shows sense of chemistry, purpose on this Cubs team

Ian Happ accessed Ivy, the Chicago Cubs information-sharing platform, and prepared as if Ryan Pressly would be the opponents starting pitcher that night.

Around this time, Happ was stuck on the injured list with a strained oblique muscle, and Pressly had just been demoted to a lesser role in the bullpen.

The team, however, believed the exercise could be beneficial.

Advertisement Pressly approached Happ, asking the veteran outfielder to put together a Pressly scouting report and share the game plan that he would use if he faced the right-handed reliever.

It took a lot to be able to ask that question, Happ said.

For a guy thats had a ton of success in the league for so long, to be vulnerable enough to say, Hey, I need to figure something out.

Pressly, though, didnt have much equity at Wrigley Field, where he got rocked during a historically bad performance against the San Francisco Giants.

Opta Stats put his 11th inning on May 6 in stark terms: Since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues in 1913, Pressly became Major League Baseballs first reliever to allow eight-plus earned runs in a game, not get an out and take the loss.

This could not have been what Pressly envisioned when he waived his no-trade clause with the Houston Astros last winter, approving the deal that transferred him to Chicago.

Writing off the balance of Presslys $14 million salary at that point wasnt realistic, but it was fair to wonder how much the 36-year-old reliever had left in the tank.

Early the next morning, Pressly arrived at Wrigley Field to work with Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, trying to find a solution.

You got to be humble in this game, or youre going to get humbled, Pressly said.

And I got humbled in front of the Cubbie faithful, and all of MLB, so you just got to take that with a little bit of humility.

With a gruff exterior and gray in his beard, the plainspoken Pressly carries himself in a way that reminds Cubs personnel of Jon Lester.

No doubt, Lester possessed certain natural talents and physical attributes, but he willed himself into the Hall of Fame conversation through guts and determination.

While Lesters career is remembered for the highs, it was also marked by several low points, the moments when he looked lost and had to adapt and evolve.

Advertisement Hottovy used Lesters struggles as a lesson for Pressly.

Happ, as a rookie with the defending World Series champions in 2017, gravitated toward Lester, trying to soak up as much perspective as possible.

Everybody goes through it, Happ said.

It doesnt matter what side of the baseball youre on, everybody goes through stretches where the game feels really tough.

The best guys in the world are the ones that minimize that.

Everybody grinds at a different level.

Over the years, hitters such as Happ and Anthony Rizzo approached Mike Borzello, the former Cubs coach who was heavily involved in game-planning strategy, catching instruction and the organizations pitching infrastructure.

Those Cubs hitters asked Borzello for breakdowns on how Chicagos pitchers would try to get them out.

Beyond that institutional knowledge, the current Cubs also feel a strong sense of camaraderie in the clubhouse and the dugout.

This is a first-place team that appreciates the give-and-take and the details inside the game, which made it easier for Pressly to ask for help.

We have a lot of guys that like hanging out, Happ said.

There are times when youre on teams with guys who play baseball and like to get away from it.

And we have a lot of guys who really just love sitting around talking baseball.

Happ, whos in his 11th year in the Cubs organization, went through his charting process and showed his findings to Pressly on the computer.

I gave what I would be looking for, and what pitches I would want to hit, Happ said.

Its going back multiple years into, All right, heres how it was in 2024, heres how it was in 23, versus what it is now.

Are there any percentage changes? How have guys handled the pitch historically? Youre looking at the pitches that guys have hit and trying to get a feel for: Are they hitting it hard, or is it a lot of luck? You know, bad BABIP stuff versus the pitches that guys are actually hitting hard and squaring up.

Advertisement Pitchers always have a perception of how the pitch plays, but theyre never in the box, so they never really get to have that conversation with the hitter on what it might look like, or what they might be looking for.

Honestly, throughout their daily work and our daily work, theres not a ton of interaction.

Youre not standing in on their bullpens and saying, Hey, maybe this, maybe that.

This was, of course, a group effort and not simply the result of Happs presentation.

But after that blowup, Pressly did not allow an earned run in 16 consecutive appearances.

In changing the pitch mix, Pressly decreased the use of his slider while relying more on his four-seam fastball and continuing to incorporate his sinker and curveball.

Pressly, meanwhile, had his right knee drained at least once Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed that procedure in late April to alleviate some discomfort and feel more athletic on the mound.

Presslys experience cant be discounted, either, as the closer for Houstons 2022 World Series team.

However, as the Cubs go through a midseason lull, how this turnaround happened illustrates the teams problem-solving capabilities and tight-knit culture.

Ryan deserves a ton of credit here for how hes bounced back, Counsell said.

Its just a lesson, man, to all of us as to what it means to be a professional and how this game is going to knock you down.

Are you going to stay down, or are you going to get back up? He chose to get back up and battle his tail off and get better.

(Top photo of Ryan Pressly: Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.